Leather & Lark (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #2) by Brynne Weaver
Series: The Ruinous Love Trilogy #2
Published by Zando on June 4, 2024
Genres: Romance
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
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Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his boss’s biggest client, Lachlan knows he’ll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least, not until songbird Lark Montague offers him a deal: use his skills to hunt down a killer and she’ll find a way to secure his freedom. The catch? He has to marry her first.

And they can’t stand each other.

Indie singer-songwriter Lark is the sunshine and glitter that burns through every cloud and clings to every crevice that Lachlan Kane tries to hide inside. The surly older brother of her best friend’s soulmate, Lachlan thinks she’s just a privileged princess, but Lark has plenty of secrets hiding in the shadows of her bright light. With her formidable family in a tailspin and her best friend’s happiness on the line, she’s willing to make a vow to the man she’s determined to hate, no matter how tempting the broody assassin might be.

As Lachlan and Lark navigate the dark world that binds them together, it becomes impossible to discern their fake marriage from a real one. But it’s not just familiar dangers that haunt them.

There’s another phantom lurking on their doorstep.

And this one has come for blood.

Read if you like:

• Romance
• Dark romance
• Fake marriage
• Enemies to lovers
• Dark humor

My thoughts:

Leather & Lark, the second installment in the Ruinous Love trilogy, is another dark romantic comedy that does a wonderful job blending humor, heart and, you know, serial killing. While not quite as good as Butcher & Blackbird, Brynne Weaver presents another fun read with this one.

Lachlan and Lark are two characters that you can’t help but love. Lark is a little unhinged but in the best ways. She’s kind, funny, and talented while also being fierce, loyal, and a smart ass. Lachlan does a wonderful job bringing out her smart ass side. He’s a bit abrasive on the outside but a teddy bear inside. The two of them together had some amazing chemistry and the best witty banter.

The spice was perfect. It wasn’t overdone and it wasn’t immediate. To be honest, the build up to it might have made it even better. I wouldn’t call this a slow burn but they definitely take their time. It was so worth it though.

The plot was my only real issue. Nothing seemed to happen for the first 70% of the book and then, when things finally got going, they didn’t really make a ton of sense. There were some definite plot holes in this one that detracted a bit from my overall enjoyment of it.

Overall, if you liked Butcher & Blackbird, I think you’ll find a lot of things to enjoy about Leather & Lark. Brynne Weaver is making a solid name for herself in the darkly funny romance genre.

TL;DR

I didn’t love this one as much as Butcher & Blackbird but it was still quite a fun read. Brynne Weaver has a wonderfully dark sense of humor. It’s a slow burn but has great spice and chemistry. The banter was on point. My only issues were that the pacing dragged a bit and the plot didn’t make a ton of sense.

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